(a) Field of the Invention
The device described in this application is a locking mechanism for accessories that may be attached to firearms. More specifically, this application describes a mechanism that is used to stabilize an accessory that is attached to the frame of a firearm.
(b) Background Art
There are a variety of firearm accessories already in existence that are designed to releasably attach to a firearm so that the operator of the firearm can use both the accessory and the weapon at roughly the same time. For example, weapon mounted lights are used in conjunction with a firearm to aid low light target identification, allowing the user to simultaneously aim and illuminate the target. These lights can be handheld or mounted to the weapon, with the light beam parallel to the bore. Such lights are commonly used by officers of tactical agencies such as military, government, local, state and federal agencies in the field and for training during daylight, low and/or no light conditions. Weapon mounted lights are mounted on rifles, shotguns, submachine guns and handguns. These lights offer hands-free use, leaving the operator free to use both hands to control the weapon.
Generally, firearm accessories attach to some portion of the frame of the firearm and may have a second component that stabilizes the accessory by engaging with a discrete part of the firearm frame or rail system. For example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/949,428 this inventor has disclosed a system for attaching a firearm accessory to a firearm using a rail system integrated into the handgun frame. The accessory has two rails that are substantially parallel and are complementary to two substantially parallel rails that are located on the frame of a firearm. The device is fitted onto the rail system of a firearm and the locking mechanism is engaged with a perpendicular impression that is located between the parallel rails on the forearm frame. The device features a thumb screw that allows the user to easily tighten or loosen the accessory on the firearm frame.
However, in making these devices easy to attach and detach, manufacturers have made the devices easier to lose especially during training exercises. In this inventor's personal and professional experience, live fire training that does not also simulate the use of the firearm mounted accessory does not adequately prepare individuals for using their firearms in real life combat situations. In other words, without the proper training, the average firearms operator will draw and fire their weapon considerably more slowly when their firearm has an accessory attached to it as compared to how fast they draw and fire the same weapon without the accessory attached. The use of firearm accessories during training exercises also gives the user an opportunity to take the accessory off of the firearm and to lose it. Moreover, there are opportunities for the attachment means of the accessory to become loose and to disengage from the firearm.
As a result, there is a need in the firearms industry for an accessory that can be easily and releasably mounted to a firearm and that allows the user to lock the accessory onto the firearm so that the user cannot easily disengage and separate the accessory from the firearm.